The Quiet One
by HexalianRebelAgent
Summary: "I don't know..." Kankri murmured shyly. "Some kids play sports; some are artists; I'm, uh…" You know, it's always the quiet ones that have the biggest secrets.
1. The Quiet One

**A/N: So I wrote a thing where my OTP does silly things. I did try my best this time to write them closer to their canon personalities, even though you might argue this is out of character for them.(Don't worry, it kind of is...)**

* * *

><p>It was not easy being Kankri Vantas.<p>

Temptation had a coil tight around his neck like a vicious anaconda—

_Note to self: References to hilariously terrible pop songs kills a bit of temptation…_

Not much though. Not nearly enough…

Being seated in the rear center of his science classroom allowed him the privilege of being able to watch just about everyone. And everyone had the tiniest little quirks that drove him crazy. There was one girl who often kicked her shoes off when she was deep in thought; her feet were a little small for her height, but the way she giggled when the boy behind her playfully brushed the toe of his shoe against her sole was melodic and sweet. Another boy down the row from him was an overly muscular football jock whose shirts just plain never fit; he did it on purpose, Kankri was sure of it. The way he stretched his arms over his head made the shirt lift up and expose his stomach; those toned muscles were just dying to be touched. Something similar could be said for another girl, who wore midriff shirts despite a sickeningly adorable bit of baby fat around her waist; her girlfriend liked to goose her hips when the teacher wasn't watching to make her squeak.

Kankri slouched in his chair, gnawing on his pencil; it was not easy being him. He looked up curiously as the door opened.

"Uh, excuse me…" A boy was saying as he entered. He presented a note to the teacher, who nodded and turned to the class.

"This is Cronus Ampora. He just moved here from downstate; be nice to him, you little monsters." The new kid rolled his eyes and grinned, flashing his teeth. He had a brilliant smile, he was tall, and there was just something about those mauve colored eyes that—

"That desk in front of Kankri is open." The teacher said, and Kankri's flinch might have been visible. "Vantas, raise your hand, would you?" The boy sheepishly raised his hand and lowered his head, his face almost as red as his sweater. The teacher went back to teaching as Cronus walked to his desk, the teenager stopping to look directly at the shy Vantas boy that was slowly bringing his hand back down. He smirked almost mockingly before ruffling his hair.

"Good to meet you, runt." he chuckled. His hands were soft...

()()()()()()()()()()

So, Kankri might have had a crush on the new boy. Well, maybe not a crush, but there definitely was something he could be useful for.

Truthfully though, Cronus wasn't entirely new to him. He was actually one of Porrim's Facebook friends that she often had Skype conversations with. Kankri had been at her house during one of their calls, and the Ampora was quick to taunt him about his short stature and overall childlike appearance compared to other teens. Of course, his webcam was broken, so Kankri had never actually gotten a chance to see him.

And now, seeing him was the one thing he couldn't stop doing. Every time his science class came around, he was stuck sitting behind this guy and staring at the back of his head while he slouched in his chair until the teacher nagged him to sit up straight. Then he would watch Cronus's back almost studiously: the way his muscles tensed and relaxed; the way his ribs stood out a bit when he rolled his shoulders. He really couldn't help himself when the eraser of his pencil prodded the center of the Ampora's spine.

The sharp flinch and restrained noise he made were a hilarious combination, but Kankri held his tongue as Cronus glanced over his shoulder at him.

"Sorry..." he said-well, should have said; he sort of just stared off into space as if he hadn't done anything.

"Eyes up here, please..." the teacher droned, and everyone refocused, more or less. For Kankri, it would definitely be less; anything their teacher rattled off now wasn't going to walk out of the textbook anytime soon. He flicked through his sketchbook for a relatively blank page before getting a bit lost in a new drawing; it had been a while since he had drawn something that wouldn't turn into a blueprint later.

"Is that supposed to be me or something?" In a single motion, the book was closed and behind Kankri's back. Cronus laughed at him, and the Vantas boy slowly realized that his other classmates were filing out of the room and the dismissal bell was ringing.

"You were pretty far away, shorty." the Ampora teased, and Kankri blushed brightly. "Teach said there's a research project due in a couple weeks; I'm paired up with you, alright?"

Kankri nodded quickly, putting his sketchbook and pencils into his bag. Science partners... That was one way to get close enough. Now, if he could just...

"We ought to get together this weekend to start on it; I have swim practice all this week." Cronus was talking again; he smirked almost seductively. "So, your place or mine?"

Kankri couldn't have been less impressed by that line if he tried; at the same time, he couldn't have been more thrilled. "Mine." he said bluntly, shrugging on his backpack and walking toward the desk at the front of the room.

"Oh, so you can talk." the taller boy smirked as he followed. He let Kankri take his hand and write his address and cell phone number on the palm with a pen from the teacher's desk, and he didn't seem to notice the hint of a smirk on the shorter boy's lips when he twitched a bit at the curly handwriting.

"Yes, people just don't hear me very often." Kankri set the pen back in its place before walking out into the hall. He could sense Cronus watching him awkwardly before his footsteps came up behind him again.

"What would you say if I said I'll be able to hear you just fine later?" a husky whisper appeared at the side of his neck, the smirk more audible than anything else.

Kankri glared at him. "Just be at my house, alright?" he said finally, jabbing him in the ribs with one finger—he almost couldn't hold his grin when Cronus flinched—before he stalked off. The short boy smirked softly as he left the other in the hall. This weekend could go quite well.

Then again, he was risking quite a lot.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

School had been cancelled on Friday because of a sudden foot of snow blanketing the city Thursday night. Cronus had called to say he'd be over around noon, and Kankri had been planning to sleep until then, so needless to say, he wasn't particularly happy.

He was, however, the _tiniest_ bit desperate.

He had finished preparing the basement at about 11:30, and he was showered and dressed by 11:45. As he was lying half asleep on the living room couch waiting, he wondered if it was Cronus's fault that he was so tired right now. He supposed not, but that would have given him a bit more incentive.

He was finishing that drawing he'd started in class days before when a knock came on the door. _Once upon a snow day cheery…_ Kankri couldn't help but chuckle as the butchered quote played in his mind before he went to get the door.

"You're a bit early." He murmured softly as he looked up at the tall boy on his doorstep. "I'm honestly a bit surprised."

Cronus chuckled and rolled his eyes, giving Kankri a playful shove as he walked in.

"Take your shoes off, Ampora." The Vantas boy called, sitting up on the back of the couch as he watched his guest.

"Alright, Dad, calm down." The other boy joked as he pulled off his boots and left them on the rug by the door. "What are you doing up there anyway?"

"Just sitting about. Come on; we have to start, right?"

"Well, somebody's eager to finish." Cronus was wearing that telling smirk as he hung up his coat, walked over to the couch, and set his backpack and himself down, seeming careful not to sit on Kankri's toes. The Vantas boy rolled his eyes though; here he was again, staring at Cronus's back like it was the only thing that existed. He sighed silently as his classmate pulled a laptop from his bag and set it up on the coffee table; he was starting to get restless, and this wasn't going fast enough.

He kind of wondered if he had somehow gotten any of his dad's 'Vantas Wiles'…

"Okay…" Cronus sighed as his computer finally started up. "I was thinking we run some chemical tests on some bean plants a—" The Ampora's voice got caught in his throat as Kankri's hands ran carefully but firmly up his back to lightly squeeze his shoulders. "K-Kankri…?"

"Shh…" The Vantas boy sighed softly, leaning over the taller boy and slowly dragging his hands up his neck. He paused when Cronus squirmed. "Ticklish?"

"Of course not…" Cronus practically purred, surrendering to Kankri's hands. Kankri had always taken pride in his own hands: the soft smoothness of the skin and his delicate, strategic touch. He knew exactly what he was doing; and when Cronus leaned slightly to expose the back of his neck, Kankri went for it, pressing both of his thumbnails roughly into the nerves at the base of his neck. The taller boy jerked slightly, and the shorter one just barely managed to keep the upper hand, finally letting go when Cronus went completely limp.

The full weight of what he was doing was really trying to catch up to him, but Kankri stayed a few miles ahead of it, sitting calmly beside his unconscious peer.

"Falling for all that…For shame, Cronus…" he sighed, checking to make sure his pulse and breathing were still fine. "We're underage for God's sake…"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Cronus awoke to hear Kankri mumbling to himself and scribbling on something as he paced back and forth nearby. He couldn't _see_ any of this, mind you, but he quickly found there wasn't much else he could do either.

"He's going to hate me; and if Porrim finds out…" he kept saying; and then he finally stopped pacing and scribbling. "No, no…No sense turning back now. Might as well make the best of it. Oh…" A barely noticeable amount of weight set itself on his outstretched legs, and gentle thumbs pushed up the strip of cloth that was covering his eyes. "…Good, you're awake." Kankri's cheeks were tinged red, and for a long few half-minutes, he looked Cronus over.

He had originally gotten funny looks when he built this special bench in Woodshop at school; the teacher had been impressed though, if a bit unsettled at the same time. There was still room for some improvements, but he had tried his best to make Cronus as comfortable as one could be with their wrists handcuffed above their head and their ankles locked in a set of stocks. He kind of just sat there now, not really sure where to go from here and, honestly, kind of frazzled.

"K-Kankri…" the boy in question actually flinched when Cronus found his voice, and that made the Ampora smile a bit. "Listen, kid, this is definitely…unexpected, but I—" Kankri put a hand lightly over his mouth.

"I know you're confused, and you seem scared; but I can assure you, I will apologize for this later."

"Later?" Cronus asked in disbelief as the Vantas boy pulled his hand away. "Why the hell aren't you apologizing now?!"

"Because, Ampora, I only want to apologize once today, and believe me, what I'm going to do with you warrants it more than just binding you to the chair." As he finally got off of Cronus's lap, he sighed. "Oh, and if your mind doesn't crawl out of that gutter it just fell into, I might have to hurt you."

"W-What?" Cronus stammered, his own cheeks starting to light up. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mm-hm…" Kankri pat his guest's knee and paced around the bench again, stopping behind him and messing with something.

"I don't know if I'm in any position to ask, but…" Cronus sort of craned his neck, trying to look back at the smaller boy. "What exactly are you thinking about doing with me here?"

"It isn't obvious yet? It's nothing really…" Kankri's gentle touch suddenly appeared at the base of his spine, his fingers crawling teasingly slow up his back as he whispered into Cronus's ear. "I'm just going to tickle you."

The Ampora squirmed uncomfortably at Kankri's ministrations, but laughed in disbelief at his words. The shorter boy couldn't help but smile a bit at that laugh. "Shorty, I seem to recall telling you that I'm not ticklish."

"Yeah, Cronus…" Kankri sighed, lightly goosing his peer's hip as he stepped from behind him. "I used an aggressive nerve pinch that could have permanently crippled you from the neck down if I messed up; dragged your dead weight down a flight of wooden stairs; and locked you in a handmade, very ornate medieval torture device because I believed you weren't ticklish." By the end of all that, Kankri stood at the foot of the bench, leaning nonchalantly on the stocks. "We share an Advanced Chemistry and Biology class, Mr. Ampora; how stupid do you really think I am?"

Cronus did look the slightest bit nervous now, his mauve eyes watching Kankri warily.

The Vantas boy smirked, bringing one hand down and tracing shapes into the sole of Cronus's socked foot. "Yeah, I've got your number, Ampora." He taunted as his classmate's toes twitched in response. "We may as well start; the sooner we do, the sooner it's over, right?"

The look on Cronus's face said that he could have probably waited, but Kankri crawled back onto his lap and wrapped his hands around the captive's ribcage, his thumbs massaging the spaces between the bones. The Ampora immediately twitched and squirmed, biting down on his lower lip. One of his eyes clenched shut in determination while the other attempted futilely to intimidate Kankri.

"Not ticklish at all then?" the Vantas boy asked with a condescending smirk, his fingers swirling circles down to the Ampora's sides. "Oh, wait…" He paused, reaching up behind Cronus's head and pressing something. "Okay; now we can really start." And suddenly, Kankri wasn't holding back; his fingers going right for the Ampora's hipbones.

The way he jerked and coughed out a surprised cackle completely gave him away, and it was all downhill from there. Kankri's hands suddenly attacked under his arms, and he lost all control.

"K-Kankri, stop it!" he laughed, pulling helplessly on the handcuff chain and making it rattle against the wooden bench.

"There we go…" The Vantas boy murmured, tracing fast little loops into the fabric of his sleeves. No, Kankri hadn't removed his shirt; he had been desperate, yes, but not entirely out of his head. "Was that really so difficult?" After poking his ribs and sides again, the little tormentor got off of his captive and walked behind him. He smirked as he watched Cronus's muscles tense in anticipation, even as he was regaining his breath.

"Are you ready now?" he teased when the other boy's breathing evened out, and he was sure Cronus mumbled some obscenity under his breath. "Good." He nodded. "So am I." He scribbled his fingers up the Ampora's back, chuckling softly at the way he shivered as he started laughing again. It was almost disappointingly easy to follow him as he tried to lean away from the ticklish sensations, but once again, Kankri did intend to make improvements to this bench's design later.

Hooking his fingers, Kankri used his nails to scratch along the back of Cronus's ribcage, and soon he was starting to think that his captive was trying to tell him something through his loud, kind of adorable laugh. "Having fun yet?" he asked, putting his hands behind his own back and returning to Cronus's line of sight.

"Shut up, kid…" The Ampora huffed, panting softly.

"I think you were trying to ask me something just then." He chuckled, ignoring his angry huff and wandering toward a table against the nearby wall. "Ask me quick, okay? I only have so much time."

"Yeah, actually, that's what I wanted to ask you." Cronus was glaring at him as he climbed back onto his lap, one of his hands still behind his back. "When the hell did you plan to let me out of this damn thing?"

"You don't know?" Kankri asked as if he could have figured it out himself. "Well, just look up." The Ampora tipped his head back, and he had just barely gotten a glimpse of something that was attached to the top of the bench when his tormentor's fingers started wiggling over his neck. Caught completely off his guard, he let out an honest-to-goodness squeak before giggling like mad and trying to scrunch his shoulders up and his chin down.

_He's just so cute…for such a "tough" guy anyway._

"What are you doing?" The Vantas boy taunted. "I told you to look up."

"Oh, my God, I hate you so much right now…"

"Aw, come now, just look up; you're the one who asked how long you'd be here."

Cronus tried pretty hard to keep Kankri's gentle hand from slipping under his chin. "You really think I'm falling for that twice?"

Kankri grinned and giggled, this being the first time Cronus had seen him actually smile. "Relax, Ampora." Despite his captive's effort, Kankri managed to tip his head back so he could see the timer that was situated above him. It was currently counting down from just over 45 minutes.

"Those had better not be minutes, Vantas." Cronus snarled, though he knew they were.

"Oh, but they are, Seahorse. As much as I wanted to really put you through your paces, I strictly held myself back to only keeping you in the chair for an hour."

"An hour?!"

"Yes, an hour, I guess you were right about being able to hear me." He actually sneered as Cronus glared daggers at him.

"You little bastard. When I get out of this, I'm going to kill you!"

Kankri's entire being suddenly grew soft, and his presence was nonthreatening. He almost looked ready to break down crying. "You wouldn't do that…" he said quietly, crossing his legs as he sat on Cronus's knees.

"You really want to test me right now?!"

Kankri flinched at his tone, looking small and defenseless as he got off of Cronus's legs and paced around him again. He seemed deep in thought, and twice it looked like he was considering letting his captive go free. In the meantime, the Ampora was watching the timer; and Kankri didn't poke at his neck or sneak up behind him as the time ticked down to below 35 minutes.

"Well…" The Vantas boy finally sighed, his eyes cast down as he stopped where his peer could see him. "I gave the matter quite a bit of thought as you, uh, probably noticed."

"And?" Cronus growled, though there was just a hint of hope in his voice.

"And…I figured that if I'm really going to die today…" he turned to Cronus with a smirk and a purple feather that was very close to matching his eye color. "…Then we might as well make the most of this!" The Ampora's eyes widened in shock; had he really fallen for another one of this runt's tricks?!

Kankri chuckled before grabbing the strip of cloth that was still tied around his head and pulling it back over his captive's eyes. "So, Cronus, are we sensitive to feathers at all?" The Vantas boy didn't wait for the angry response he knew he would get and swept the plume across the back of his neck. Aside from some more uncomfortable squirming, there wasn't much. That is, until Kankri decided to brush the feather behind his ears. The Ampora jerked away with a sharp cry, the sudden motion making him knock the back of his skull against the bench's backrest.

"Oops." Kankri murmured, biting his tongue before he apologized; if nothing else, he was a man of his word. "I'll spare you that one, Ampora." He chuckled. "It won't be any fun if you hurt yourself."

"Gee, thanks a lot…" Cronus said sarcastically before being immediately forced back into those childish giggles when Kankri's hands appeared at his stomach.

"You know, your attitude isn't doing either of us any good. I'm getting a bit tired of having to think up ways to shut you up."

"And h-how would you plan to do that?"

The tormentor pulled his hands back. "I'm pretty sure I have some duct tape in one of these boxes…"

"Kankri!" Cronus snapped at him, and the Vantas boy giggled.

"I'm just kidding; I don't want to waste the time looking for it anyway." Kankri climbed back onto Cronus's legs, this time gently tracing his fingers over his knees and pinching the muscle above his kneecaps. The Ampora immediately started laughing again, throwing out some more threats and a few obscenities as he practically cackled hysterically.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Hey, what does the timer say?" the Vantas boy asked him some time later.

"How the hell would I know?!"

"Right; right. I forgot." The tormentor's gentle thumb brushed away remnants of tears just under his blindfold. "Hm… Oh…Oh, I might have to rethink this."

"I'd respond to that if I didn't think you'd trick me again." Cronus sighed.

"Hush, I'm trying to think." The captive curled his toes defensively as Kankri pulled one of his socks off. A sudden straight line of ticklish sensation dragged across the arch of his foot, and he jerked sharply.

"No. Don't move." Kankri huffed, gripping his toes tightly and tracing something kind of sharp in several short patterns over the sole of his foot. "This pen doesn't have much ink left; I'd rather not waste it."

"What are you doing?" The Ampora's voice was wavering quite a bit as he tried his damnedest not to laugh.

"Math; be quiet for a minute, please…Now, I wanted to reserve at least ten minutes for this…Or, maybe I could work with less…" The pen suddenly stilled and moved away. "Actually…" Kankri got up again and started walking around. "Yeah, we've got plenty of time." Cronus shifted a bit when the shorter boy lifted the blindfold from his eyes with one hand, the other behind his back. "Holding out okay, Ampora?"

The Ampora glared at him tiredly, but he just smiled again. "Relax, would you?" he encouraged. "We've only just gotten to the worst of it."

He gently replaced the cloth, walking around his captive again as he pulled his hand from behind his back and lightly played with the bristles on the hairbrush he carried. He held it close to Cronus's ear and firmly ran his thumb across the bristles to get a loud scratchy sound that made his captive jump.

"Something tells me this will work pretty well." Kankri chuckled. "Just promise me you won't give yourself brain damage when I use it, alright?"

"You know, Porrim didn't say anything about this when she was talking about you, kid!"

The Vantas boy sighed, looking at him shyly. "I might have had her sworn to secrecy. She really wasn't supposed to find out."

"Was anybody 'supposed' to find out?"

The boy suddenly seemed sad again, his face turning a bit red, though Cronus didn't see it. "N-No…"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't have if you hadn't pulled this stunt!" Cronus stopped himself from saying. Kankri sounded…pitiful. Don't misunderstand—the little rat was still in for it later—but now, it suddenly didn't feel right to antagonize him anymore.

"Cronus, are you trying to stall me on purpose?"

Sympathy be damned, this kid is dead.

"Yeah, we are definitely off schedule now…" Kankri said, though his tone suggested he still wasn't back to operating at 100% tormentor mode. "It's a shame: we have to skip straight to the part where I break you." The Vantas boy sat on his legs again, and the last thing that actually processed in his mind was his other sock coming off before Kankri was pinning his toes back and the pointed bristles were scrubbing across his soles. He couldn't even hope to resist this time, and he was immediately laughing too hard to talk.

"Maybe looking for that duct tape wouldn't have been a waste of time." He could just barely hear Kankri mocking him again. "I didn't think to account for the noise…"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

There had been no pause that time; no slowing down even once—in fact, Kankri actually sped up once; and Cronus wasn't even able to ask for mercy, let alone receive it.

It felt like hours to the young Ampora, long laborious hours.

Definitely not like eight-and-a-half minutes.

He felt like he had lost his mind after running a marathon. He was beyond tired and still a bit giggly, making him look about half as insane as he felt.

Kankri was sitting on his lap again, having removed the blindfold completely, and he was using the cloth itself to gently brush the laughter-induced tears from his cheeks. "Hey…" he called softly; he lifted Cronus's chin and smiled. "Look at that; you lived! Good job, Ampora."

Cronus stared at him for a second, but shook his head and sighed heavily, his voice a bit hoarse now. "You have no idea how mad I am at you…"

"No, no…I can probably imagine." He ran his hands softly through Cronus's hair. "You can be mad at me later though, can't you? You seem tired."

"Oh really?" Cronus asked sarcastically. "I can only wonder why."

Kankri giggled softly, getting off of him. "Why don't you rest and think about it? I'll be right back." Cronus didn't even call after him when he went up the stairs.

The Vantas boy wasn't at all surprised to find Cronus asleep when he came back; he had figured leaving him alone would let him relax a bit. He set the glass of ice water he had brought on the table beside the chair and pulled his set of keys from his pocket. He leaned close to Cronus's ear, whispering: "Thanks, Ampora." He couldn't help giggling as the Ampora unconsciously leaned away from him.

Kankri walked around and unlocked the padlock on the stocks and one of the cuffs holding his wrists, being careful to move his former captive's limbs to a comfortable position without waking him up; but as he was about to unlock the other cuff, his eye got caught on the open container of art supplies from which he had pulled the pen he used earlier.

There was that temptation again…

No…No. He had said it would only be an hour.

Then again, he was asleep.

Temptation is very strong…

But Kankri isn't _completely_ weak.

()()()()()()()()()()()

When Cronus finally woke up, he was a little surprised to find himself freed. He immediately got up off of the bench and rolled his shoulders, his muscles aching as they were finally able to move without being hindered again. He picked up the glass of water, chuckling incredulously at the knowledge that Kankri must have left it for him. He was definitely grateful for it; that unknown amount of time he had just slept certainly didn't fix his dry throat.

He found himself wandering around the basement. Kankri had several containers on almost all the shelves and tables, most of which were labeled in a shorthand or weird code that he couldn't read. There was something kind of endearing about how organized everything was, and also something very unsettling about it too. He sighed softly as he went up the stairs, still holding the glass of water. He was glad to find that his computer and backpack were still in the same place he left them, but Kankri was nowhere to be found. Remembering that he did come to the Vantas boy's house for a reason, he gathered his bag and laptop and ventured up to the second floor of the house. This staircase had some mirrors placed along the wall, and in one of them he happened to catch sight of a red mark on his skin under his shirt. Curiously lifting the hem, he found a pretty noticeable hashtag had been drawn just above his pant line in bright red marker.

Oh right, he was mad at this kid; for a second there, he'd forgotten.

"Vantas!" he shouted angrily stalking up the remaining stairs.

"Yes?" came the suspiciously calm response. The Ampora turned to see Kankri sitting on his bed with his own laptop in his lap. "It's good to see you up here." The Vantas boy smirked. "I almost thought I mentally scarred you."

Cronus rolled his eyes, walking into the room. "Well, no, but you certainly marked me." He lifted his shirt a bit to show him his unwanted tattoo, though he was pretty sure Kankri was actually paying slightly more attention to the fact that he hadn't put his socks back on. "What the hell is this?!"

Kankri put his hand over his mouth, though Cronus could still see him smiling. "I'm not sure what you mean." He said stiffly, clearly trying not to laugh at him.

"Right…" the taller boy huffed, glaring at the other as he set his backpack down near the door. "Actually, runt, didn't you owe me something?"

The Vantas boy glanced at him again, a sort of smug look in his eyes. "Certainly not money; I don't loan money to people, especially when I've just met them."

"Kankri…"

"What?" The boy got off the bed and walked past him, turning off the hotplate that was on his desk and picking up the tea kettle placed on top of it. "I honestly don't know what you mean."

"You know damn well what I mean, Vantas!" Cronus stood over him venting as he calmly poured some hot water into a mug of hot chocolate mix. "I distinctly remember you saying you would apologize for putting me through that hell!"

Kankri laughed brightly. "Ampora, I did not put you through hell. Hell for you would have been…" he seemed to put quite a bit of thought into it. "Hell for you would have been if I had kept going with the feathers on your ears, and maybe if I had paid more attention to your toes." He took a couple of steps around Cronus, sipping his hot chocolate. "Your knees and hips were pretty sensitive too; that might be hell. But what I did: definitely not hell."

Cronus was about to snap at him again when he caught sight of something drawn on the back of the smaller boy's neck. It was faded purple, like soap and water had washed over it several times, but—

"What is that?" he asked, a slight chuckle in his voice despite the fact that he was still upset.

"What?" Kankri asked nervously; one hand quickly covered up the spot where the mark was. "What?"

Cronus smirked, reaching out to lightly grab the Vantas boy's wrist. "I think you know what; you just covered it!"

"Cronus, we have homework!" the shorter boy managed to pull away from him long enough to set down his hot chocolate and get back onto his bed before the Ampora cornered him again.

"First, you have to tell me what that smiley on your neck is all about; and then second, you're going to apologize for what you did. After all, you promised you would."

"I never actually promised…" Kankri chuckled, though he cringed away when Cronus reached out to him. "It's nothing, alright? Back off, would you?"

"If it's nothing, why can't you tell me?"

"Because it's nothi—Ah!" The Vantas boy jerked away after the Ampora's fingers closed around the side of his neck way too gently.

Cronus was staring at him, a smirk appearing on his face. Kankri blushed nervously; anyone familiar with this situation knows that one look that officially signifies that you are screwed.

"So, Vantas…" Cronus sat on the bed beside him. "I take it you're a bit ticklish?"

"No…" Kankri lied instinctively, even though it certainly hadn't worked for him the last time this had happened.

It didn't work this time either. Cronus basically attacked him, pinning him to his bed and tracing fast, unpredictable patterns on his stomach. And, okay, fine; if you really want the truth, Kankri is probably the most ticklish person he knows. It definitely didn't help that Cronus was mad at him…

"No! Ampora, stop!" he was already pleading, barely coherent through loud laughter. He sounded like a little kid: giggly and innocent, and Cronus couldn't help grinning as he squeezed Kankri's waist.

"What's the matter, Tickle Kid?" he sneered, fingers crawling up the Vantas boy's sides. "You can't take your own medicine?"

"S-Shut up!" Kankri gripped Cronus's wrists tightly, though he couldn't budge them from their target just below his ribs. "Cronus, let me go!"

The Ampora's hands paused, palms flat against his sides. "Vantas," he said calmly, looking his classmate almost sternly in the eye. "You tied me to a chair and tickled me for the better part of an hour. You seriously think I'm going to stop now?"

"I take it I'm wrong?" the tormentor-turned-captive joked as he tried to regain his breath.

Cronus chuckled, "You goddamn hypocrite…" He rolled his eyes and absently pushed up the hem of Kankri's shirt.

"Don't you dare, Ampora." Kankri glared at him.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" the taller boy asked teasingly, scribbling his fingers across his victim's bare skin and making him squeal. "'Cause I'm kinda expecting you to say something to me." When the smaller boy just kept laughing, Cronus shrugged. "I guess you didn't say anything. That's a shame, but hey, I get to find out what this button does."

_He couldn't be that cruel…_Kankri was thinking a bit nervously.

It turns out he was actually worse; the Ampora smirked a bit deviously, passing his hand over the top of his ear and pulling out the same purple feather Kankri had tortured him with. Kankri's face lit with a hint of embarrassment; he had lost track of that feather and forgot to put it away.

"Are you sensitive to feathers, Kankri?" he taunted, drawing the plume across his bare stomach. The Vantas boy snickered, covering his face with his hands and squirming.

"Oh wait; there's still this button here…"

Kankri didn't have time to think before he was squealing with laughter as the feather flicked repeatedly over his bellybutton. If Cronus hadn't been pinning his legs, he would have been kicked by now.

"I give; I give!" the captive cried out through his laughter, trying to shove the Ampora's shoulder. "Ampora, stop!"

"Nope. That's not what I wanted to hear." And then Cronus wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist and blew loud raspberries into his skin. Kankri lost count after five; he couldn't be asked to think straight through his hysterical shrieks and the rush of embarrassment that came every time a snort broke through his laughter.

There was no getting out of this; he had to cave. "I-I'm sorry!" he shouted. "I'm sorry I tortured you, alright?!"

The taller boy softly pinched his hips as he sat back up. "Was that really so difficult?" he smirked.

Kankri pouted and pushed his shirt back down. "Yes." He panted a bit hoarsely, his cheeks still red. He sighed and sat up, smoothing his hair back into place as he and Cronus sat together awkwardly on his bed.

"So…" the Ampora began, leaning back against the wall. "Enlighten me, Vantas:" He glanced at the smaller boy. "I wasn't just unwittingly involved in some sexual fetish thing, right?"

Kankri stared at him in disbelief before slapping him pretty aggressively with one of his pillows. "No." he said, sounding sincerely disgusted with—and pretty hurt by—the suggestion. "See; this is why I don't tell people. It isn't like that, but I doubt anyone would believe me."

"So, what is it like then?" Cronus moved a bit closer to him; Kankri was being all quiet and self-conscious again.

"I-I don't know…Some kids play sports; some are artists; I'm, uh…"

"A hypocritical Tickle Kid who's cute when he laughs?" the Ampora grinned teasingly, chuckling when Kankri gave him a light shove.

"I guess so." The smaller boy said, a small smile gracing his face; he looked up at his classmate. "You have to promise me you won't tell anyone though."

"Hm…" Cronus mused, wrapping an arm around Kankri's shoulder. "Maybe…But only 'cause you're friends with Porrim. Anyone she vouches for can't be all bad, even if they like tickling people half to death." Kankri's eyes seemed to sparkle happily. "Don't get all happy yet; I want something from you too, runt."

The Vantas boy eyed him warily. "What?"

"You still have to tell me what this is." His fingers scribbled playfully over the faded mark on the back of Kankri's neck, making him giggle and scrunch his shoulders.

"It'll take a bit more than that to make me tell, Mr. Ampora." The boy smiled, reaching up and digging his own fingers under Cronus's arms.

It probably goes without saying that they never did get any research done for their project that day.


	2. Home for Christmas

**A/N: Yes, I may have injected some Christmas in here for the season. Yes, this might be hinting at an OT3 that I may or may not ship really hard. Yes, the lyrics sung are to the tune of Mariah Carey's most-famous-Christmas-song-that-everyone-knows-the-name-of.**

* * *

><p>"Are you ready?" Kankri asked; his hands were poised in position.<p>

"I guess so; it's more your choice." Cronus chuckled.

The Vantas boy smiled at him briefly before letting his fingers dance, and the brisk piano music that followed his precise tapping was beautiful and jaunty.

Cronus was sitting beside him on the bench in front of the instrument. With Christmas around the corner now, he thought he might spend some time with his favorite little weirdo.

By which one means: Porrim said he should spend some time with her favorite little sweater-wearing recluse.

Cronus hadn't been against the idea per say, but considering the fact that Kankri still seemed to want to know just what kind of reaction he could get from sneaking a feather across the outside of his ear—in the middle of class, no less—let's just say that he's a bit wary of the kid.

"You're pretty good at this, Vantas." He smiled, his shoulder pressed against Kankri's.

"Please, Ampora." The smaller boy chuckled. "Shouldn't you know by now that I'm good with my hands?"

"Wow…And I thought my jokes were bad."

"Well, if you want to interpret it that way…"

"Shut up, Tickle Kid; I know what you meant. You and your tickle monster ways don't scare me anymore."

"Ooh, I used to scare you?" Kankri seemed all kinds of giddy at the idea.

"Yeah, used to." Cronus suddenly embraced him in a sort of bear hug, his fingers sneaking pokes at his waist and sides. "Then I found out you're more ticklish than I am."

"Okay; okay! Get off me!" the boy giggled. "You have work to do anyway."

The Ampora huffed and released him, getting up. "Why aren't you helping me? It's your Christmas tree."

The Vantas boy played a slow, patient melody. "Yes, but you showed up late; I had to put up most of said tree by myself, and, as you seem to enjoy pointing out, I'm not exactly tall enough to put all of the decorations on it, not to mention the streamers and snowflakes I put up without you."

"Fine, fine; whatever." Cronus pouted, pulling a long coil of colorful tinsel from a box beside the tree, and, of course, proceeding to goof off a bit by throwing it around his shoulders like a feather boa. As Kankri continued to play random holiday melodies, Cronus strung the lights on the branches and placed the star at the top, stepping rhythmically to the tune of the songs. As he stopped to marvel at his own ability to wrangle Christmas lights, he became aware of a soft voice that could only be that quiet one behind him.

The runt was singing.

Cronus huffed. Adorable little bastard. The Ampora stepped behind him silently, listening to his quiet, caroler-worthy voice.

_~I don't feel alone this Christmas,_

_Even though nobody's here._

_Even when the house is silent,_

_You won't see me shed a tear_

_It's my choice to sit this way;_

_Waiting here for Christmas Day._

_And on that day, I know…_

_Finally, my baby will come home…_—Gah! Hey, s-stop!

Cronus laughed right along with Kankri's infectious giggles as he swept the end of the tinsel coil against the side of his neck and over his ears.

"Cronus, c-cut it out; that tickles!" The Vantas boy covered his ears, trying to lean away from the taller boy. The Ampora smirked, wrapping the tinsel around one hand and brushing his hand across Kankri's side, having to push his sweater up to tease his bare skin.

"Shouldn't you expect as much, Kanny?" Cronus taunted as Kankri squealed, pulling his hand away after a moment. "How do you like me now, Tickle Kid?"

"You're creative." Kankri giggled, watching as he finally started wrapping the tinsel around the tree. "But that's all you'll get from me."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Kankri did finally decide to help Cronus put up the various ornaments he owned; this was mainly because he no longer trusted the Ampora not to pull another attack while he wasn't watching him. Of course, that didn't protect him from Cronus casually walking behind him and sneakily hooking a few ornaments to the back of his sweater, and it really didn't do anything about Cronus teasing him about some of the old handmade decorations' designs.

"I made that one what I was little!" he must have said ten times in half as many minutes.

They were goofing around by the time the clock struck noon; Kankri was standing as still as possible, his arms held out to the sides, while Cronus decorated him with leftover ornaments and tinsel.

"You seem happy." The Ampora smirked, sweeping a bit of the fuzzy metallic string across his nose. The Vantas boy giggled, giving a small sneeze, and trying to keep his balance with a majority of the streamer wrapped around his legs and waist.

"Well, 'tis the season." He smiled just as there was a knock on the door. "Now untie me so I can get that." Cronus complied, removing the tinsel and tossing it back in the box while Kankri, still covered in ornaments, went and opened the door.

After shivering a bit from the burst of cold that was let in, Kankri was left staring in slight disbelief at the tall boy with messy, overgrown, snow-covered hair standing on his doorstep. This new character looked him over curiously, not speaking at all, but he grinned and rolled his eyes, reaching out to ruffle the Vantas boy's hair.

"Makara!" Kankri greeted, hugging him tightly. "When did you get back?"

The boy grinned, embracing him with one arm while the other held his backpack.

"Hey, come on in; we were just putting the last decorations up." The Vantas boy pulled his tall friend into the house, closing the door as the boy kicked off his boots. "Oh, Cronus, this is my good friend Kurloz; Kurloz, that's Cronus."

At the mention of each other's names, both boys looked at each other in surprise; but then they were just staring, and Kankri could sense a thickening tension in the room. He excused himself to the kitchen and pulled out his cell phone, looking for Porrim's number.

-Maryam, are y9u ar9und?

Mo+rning, Kankri; ho+w are yo+u, darling?

Is Cro+nus helping yo+u with the deco+rating?

-Yes, he sh9wed up eventually.

-Anyway, y9u remember Kurl9z, right?

Yeah, I remember him; he just go+t back fro+m military training.

Actually, I was suppo+sed to+ call yo+u and tell yo+u he came back.

My bad, Kanny. ^^;

-N9 pr96lem.

-L99k, I wanted t9 ask y9u: D9 Cr9nus and Kurl9z kn9w each 9ther?

…

No+, I do+n't think so+…

Actually,

Cro+nus might have mentio+ned o+ver Skype that a weird quiet kid used to+ live in his neighbo+rho+o+d.

He said they didn't get alo+ng.

Like, at all.

-Thanks, Maryam; I 9we y9u 9ne.

Kankri put his phone back in his pocket and stepped back into the living room. He couldn't help chuckling at the sight of his houseguests still staring each other down like angry animals.

"Gentlemen, please." He said calmly, stepping between them. "I don't allow fighting in my house."

"How exactly are you friends with this asshole?" Cronus asked, and Kurloz glared at him even harder.

"Oh, come now, Ampora. You hardly know him."

"Oh, and you know him? Damn fool never talks!"

"He talks! He is very talkative, and he is very kind."

Kurloz chuckled, a slight grin on his face.

"Well …He's usually kind." Kankri corrected himself, and Kurloz elbowed him in the ribs. "See what I mean?"

"And is he 'usually' talkative, too?"

"Well, I know he doesn't talk much around people he doesn't know…or, uh, like..."

Cronus rolled his eyes. "Whatever, kid." He huffed, going back to putting up the remaining decorations.

"Cronus, don't be like that; I—Hm?" Kankri glanced over his shoulder as he felt Kurloz moving aside his hair and poking at the back of his neck with his thumb. He blushed softly as the tall boy chuckled lowly.

"Yes, the mark is still there;" he pouted, covering that spot. "Shut up, Makara."

"Wait…" Cronus spoke up, a taunting smirk suddenly on his face. "He knows about that?"

Kurloz scoffed. He pulled a small book from his backpack and showed Cronus the cover, on which was the same smiley face that was drawn on Kankri's neck.

The Ampora laughed. "So let me see if I have this straight;" he grinned at Kankri, who was hiding most of his blushing face in the collar of his sweater. "If he put a special mark on you like you did to me, does that mean he's tickled you stupid before?"

"N-Not necessarily..." The Vantas boy insisted, trying desperately to save face, even though, once again, he knew he was caught. "I…I, uh…" he sighed heavily. "I'll just be upstairs dying of embarrassment." The short boy walked up the stairs, the ornaments on his sweater still clicking together as he moved.

The two playground enemies stood around in the living room, Kurloz watching Cronus struggle to put the star on the top of the tree. Of course, when the Makara noticed Kankri's fading mark on the Ampora's hip, he couldn't resist giving him quick pokes along his sides whenever he lifted his arms up.

"G-Goddamn it, Makara!" Cronus huffed, trying to cover up giggles. "There cannot seriously be two of you goofballs."

Kurloz just chuckled; but his expression changed quickly to one of concern as he glanced back at the staircase. He tapped Cronus's shoulder.

"Would you quit poking me, asshole?!" Cronus snapped, finally managing to place the star and plug it in. Kurloz rolled his eyes and grabbed the Ampora by the back of his shirt, dragging him up the stairs and stopping outside of Kankri's room. The door was open, so both boys could see Kankri's red sweater folded up on his desk, all of the ornaments removed and in a small container beside the sweater. Kankri was sitting up on his bed, facing the corner of the wall and clinging to a pillow; he had changed into a Christmas sweater, but it was still mostly red like his normal one.

Kurloz sauntered into the room like it was his own, leaning on the wall beside the bed. "We thought you were dying." He chuckled; his voice was low and gravelly, sounding much older than the boy it belonged to.

"Embarrassment is a slow, painful death." Kankri murmured. He looked up at his friend with big soulful eyes.

Kurloz chuckled, lightly poking the side of Kankri's head. "You're just sensitive."

"You two are just mean…"

Kurloz pinched his cheek, smiling. "You're stupid."

"_You're_ stupid!" Kankri threw his pillow at the Makara's face, and Cronus was only able to watch as the fight broke out. There's something hilariously endearing about two goofballs getting into a tickle fight; if by fight, one meant Kankri being tickled silly and begging for mercy.

The Ampora shook his head, having to face the facts. "Dammit; there really are two of you." While the existence of two 'Tickle Kids' wasn't exactly his worst nightmare, he was pretty sure he could have lived without them; or at the very least, without knowing them personally.

At the same time though…

"C-Cronus, help me!" the Vantas boy shrieked as Kurloz kneaded his hips; and Cronus couldn't help snickering.

…He found himself kind of intrigued by these two nutcases, kind of…attracted to their silliness.

"And why should I help you?" The Ampora smirked. "You're always trying to stick feathers in my ears during class."

"Because Kurloz is cruel!" Kankri was barely even coherent at that point, he was laughing so hard.

"Yeah, but he's your friend; therefore, he's your problem."

Cronus leaned on the doorframe and watched as Kurloz finally let go of his victim's feet and let him regain his breath. The taller boy sat up, letting his own feet hang off the edge of the bed as he smiled down at his friend.

Kankri panted heavily, hugging a pillow to his chest. He grinned brightly at the Makara. "You're still stupid!" he giggled, slapping him over the head with the pillow.

Kurloz blew his bangs out of his eyes and pulled Kankri into a chokehold, grinding his knuckles into Kankri's hair. "You're stupid, you little brat."

"Can we just say both of you dorks are stupid and get on with our lives?" Cronus grinned. "We have to finish setting up for tonight."

The two boys looked at him for a moment, and then Kankri leaned up and whispered into Kurloz's ear. The Makara sneered almost predatorily, and the Vantas boy giggled mischievously.

Cronus could piece this situation together, even before they were chasing after him, and again, this wasn't his worst nightmare come true…

…But it was pretty high up there.

()()()()()()()()()

Even though it took _a lot_ of effort, and they had to refocus multiple times, the trio had finally gotten Kankri's living room prepared for the get-together that he had planned.

As the moon was rising, Kankri's guests arrived practically all at once. Though, considering there were only five of them, that wasn't really too surprising.

"Porrim!" Kankri greeted happily as the taller girl hugged him tightly. "I almost didn't think you would show."

"Darling, why on Earth would I miss this?" She asked brightly. "I took a day off just for it!" She released Kankri and turned her attention to Cronus and Kurloz, this being the first time she and the Ampora had actually met in person—outside of passing glances and rushed greetings at school, anyway.

Mituna Captor and his girlfriend, Latula Pyrope, were next to show up. "We brought cookies!" The excitable Captor boy shouted, holding up the tin he was carrying victoriously.

The final pair to arrive was Horuss Zahhak and Meulin Leijon: the former carrying a box while the latter carried two shopping bags. Kankri pointed Horuss toward the television before pausing to talk to Meulin.

"Hey, Kankritter!" she greeted happily; she reached into one of the bags. "I bought you a hat while I was at the store today." She produced a plain Santa hat from the bag and handed it to him.

"Leijon, you shouldn't have." The Vantas boy grinned, slipping on the hat over his messy hair.

"Well, I thought about you while I was buying the hot chocolate." She glanced over Kankri's shoulder to where Cronus and Porrim were talking on the couch. "Ooh, he's kind of cute…"

"Hm? You mean Cronus?"

"Yes, Pawrrim's friend." Meulin smiled, her eyes sparkling. "What do you think of him?"

Kankri shrugged, taking one of her shopping bags off her arm. "He's fun sometimes."

She leaned in close and whispered. "Word around school is that he's a pervert."

The Vantas boy snorted, giggling softly. "Yes, I've noticed that a few times; I think I've managed to discourage his attempts to come on to me though. He certainly doesn't speak in as much innuendo as before."

Meulin smirked. "So, do you like him?"

"What? You mean like, as in—" When the girl nodded eagerly, he blushed. "Meulin, he's barely lived here a month."

"Yeah, and he's spent most of it with you. He didn't even officially meet Porrim: the one friend he really had here, until now. You're hogging him, Kancrab, so there must be some reason why."

Kankri looked for a way out of this situation. "Hey, Meulin…You know I love you, but I forgot to bring the hotplate and kettle down from my room, so if you could excuse—" He cut himself off when he noticed Kurloz walking down the stairs with said hotplate and kettle. He thought he was sunk _again _and felt pretty prepared to go hide in his room again.

"Purrloz!" Meulin squealed in surprise, drawing everyone's attention to the tall boy. The five guests were suddenly surrounding him, asking how he was and why he hadn't been sending out e-mails as much as before. The Makara boy grinned shyly, clearly happy with the attention but put off by the crowding.

Kankri happily accepted the distraction, stepping forward for just long enough for Kurloz to hand him the appliance he was carrying.

After everyone finished getting reacquainted with Kurloz, the party got into swing. It was a Bad Movie party, which the group had gotten into the habit of having around certain holidays. Porrim said it would be a great way to introduce Cronus into their circle; and the Ampora looked like he was having fun.

He was still giving the Makara boy disapproving looks though.

While Horuss and Kurloz were going through the box of movies that the former had brought, Kankri was setting up the hotplate on a table next to the couch.

"Hey, Kancrab." The Vantas boy glanced over his shoulder at Meulin, a bit fearful that she was going to pick up their conversation again. "Relax; I just wanted to show you this thing I made." In her hand, she held a clothespin decorated with a mistletoe sprig made out of cardboard.

"That's cute, Leijon." Kankri smiled.

She nodded, reaching out and clipping it onto his hat. "We'll just put this here…And then…" She suddenly grabbed Kankri's shoulders and spun him around, shoving him forward. He cried out as he tripped and tried to regain his balance, only for his face to collide with a certain Aquarius T-shirt and two arms quickly embracing him so he wouldn't fall to the floor.

"You okay, kid?" Kankri looked up, blushing a bit as his eyes met Cronus's.

"Aww, I see mistletoe." Porrim smirked, and suddenly, everyone was watching them expectantly. Kankri buried his face in his hands, mortified and wondering when his friends became so cruel.

Cronus chuckled softly, gently taking Kankri's hands in his own and pulling them down before leaning in and kissing the Vantas boy's forehead. Kankri's cheeks lit up even brighter, and when their friends started clapping like it was some big accomplishment, he covered his face again.

Cronus snickered, giving him a hug. "I can see you smiling, you dork." He ruffled his hair before letting him go, and while everyone else went back to preparing to start the movie, Kankri continued to stand about mesmerized…

…And kind of mad at Meulin.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

The movie they had chosen to watch first was Jack Frost—the one with the mutant killer snowman—under Kankri's own suggestion. Kankri, Cronus, and Porrim were sitting up on the couch; Kurloz had a pillow propped against the Vantas boy's side that he rested his head on while the rest of his body was curled up on the couch like a cat's; and the others sat on pillows on the floor.

Throughout the first third of the movie, Kankri was noticing that Kurloz seemed to be in a bad mood. He lightly pets his friend's fluffy hair, and the older boy looked up at him with a mix of sadness and anger in his eyes.

"Let me go?" He said quietly to Cronus, and the Ampora willingly pulled his arm from around the Vantas boy's shoulder. Kankri stepped carefully over Meulin, going into the kitchen. He pulled a can of strawberry soda from the refrigerator as Kurloz joined him.

"See, if you had called me or something, I'd probably have Faygo." The Vantas boy teased quietly, handing him the can and smiling a bit as he chuckled. "Now then, Makara, what's wrong with you?"

Kurloz looked at him with fake curiosity.

"Come on, Kurloz, you can talk to me; we used to talk all the time. You've been looking mopey for almost an hour."

The taller boy sighed heavily, pouting. "…Your friend…"

"Which one? You mean Cronus?"

"I don't like him."

"Ugh…Kurloz…I met you two days after you moved here when I was eight years old. That was almost 10 years ago. You haven't even kept contact with Cronus in all that time; don't you think it's possible that he's grown out of whatever made you hate him?"

Kurloz fiddled with the tab on the soda can. "Maybe…but…"

"Wait." Kankri said, smiling slightly. "Is this because he kissed me?"

The Makara boy may or may not have blushed. "I don't trust him."

Kankri giggled and hugged him tightly. "You, Makara, are worse than Meulin. Like I told her: he's barely lived here a month. If you want the truth, he's not my favorite person either. We make fun of each other; I kind of like tormenting him; and, like he keeps repeating: he's still mad at me for tickling him for an hour. Don't worry so much."

Kurloz chuckled, ruffling his shorter friend's hair. "Fine; fine."

There was suddenly a burst of laughter from the group in the living room.

"See that?" Kankri huffed. "Now we're missing Mituna's heckling." He smiled and took Kurloz's hand, leading him back to the couch. He snuggled back up to Cronus's side, and Kurloz did the same to him: replacing the pillow against Kankri's hip and lying there again.

Of course, now that Kurloz knew not to be jealous, he was going to be mischievous and mean.

"H-Hey, stop that." Cronus whispered with a snicker, tapping Kankri on the back of his head.

"What?" The Vantas boy murmured.

"You know what." The Ampora lightly tickled the side of his neck and across his shoulder to make him cringe. "Now stop it."

"I-I'm not doing anything." He giggled, holding up his hands innocently. Of course, that's when he noticed the mischievous look Kurloz was giving him and the way his arm reached behind him to squeeze the Ampora's side.

Kankri decided not to say anything about Kurloz purposefully turning Cronus against him here; not because he was cool with the idea of Cronus having more incentive to vengefully tickle him, but because…Well, as long as the Makara was okay with Cronus being around, everything could probably be sorted out later.


End file.
